Embercombe Autumn Rewilding Camp – an exploration of nature connection, rewilding ourselves and taking action.
Our Autumn rewilding camp was 4 days of diving into some of the concepts and practicalities of rewilding. Over 30 people gathered together to learn, share and experience a raft of different activities.
Participants were introduced to Embercombe and heard some of the magic of her history from our Founder, Mac Macartney, who shared some of his insights and wisdom. We immersed ourselves in the mind-blowing world of the mycelial network. Hands on, touching, smelling, feeling and experiencing the world of fungi, hyphal tips, moulds and mushrooms! Experiencing the inverted world of the network beneath our feet and finishing with a banquet of mushrooms crafted by Embercombes very own team of chefs.
We took part in practical action, trying our hand at the traditional rural skill of hedge-laying and becoming more familiar with some of the tools our ancestors would have used. Some felt apprehensive about the apparent destructive nature of this work, but as we learnt about how the trees regenerate and give rise to more abundance we started to free ourselves of the shackles of traditional views of control and tidiness in our countryside!
We had a full day focusing on rewilding through the lens of food production. Learning about what ecological role keystone species played in this country in the past, and how humans can mimic these in regenerative agriculture practices. We tackled the thorny subject of how we might feed the world in a way that is regenerative and sits alongside rewilding.
We were treated to some visual teaching about the River Otter Beavers, now living wild in East Devon, and a magical evening of story telling as the sun went down and we gathered around a fire, in the heart of Embercombe.
Finally we set intentions and planned actions we will take as we move away from the camp and out into the world, dreaming of a time when the impact of humans becomes so positive that we want more of it, not less!
